Remote Work in Lithuania

Working from home can be either agreed on between the employer and the employee or requested by the employee. Upon agreement, the remote work and home office arrangements must be established in writing and address the following clauses:

Mandatory clauses

• Workplace requirements (if any)
• Establishing what equipment will be provided by the employer and the rules for the use of the equipment
• The amount of reimbursement the employee is entitled to if they use personal equipment to perform work
• A department or a particular person to whom the remotely working employee should report to
  Optional clauses
• The preliminary period of the remote work (if any)
• Working hours in which the employee should be reachable by phone or email
• Establishing the way for employees to communicate and co-operate with other employees and receive information from the employer
• Rules on overtime and its requirements, such as overtime approval
• Other specific clauses, depending on a position, business, industry

Employers must (1) provide the equipment necessary for work and (2) cover any installation costs. If employees incur any additional costs in connection with work when working from home, the employer must reimburse them. The amount of compensation and the terms of reimbursement are determined as agreed between the parties on the employment contract.

Teleworkers may distribute their working time at their own discretion, without violating the maximum working hours and the minimum rest time requirements.

At least once a year (at the request of the works council), employers must inform the applicable works council or union about the status of telework within the company, including the number of remote workers, their positions, the average salary per occupation, and their genders.

As employers don’t have total control of the employee’s home office, employers should set the expectations in cooperation with the employee and instruct them about health and safety, while employees have the duty to follow and care for their health and safety when working remotely. It is the employer’s obligation to ensure that the working conditions are safe and appropriate. Employees working with a display screen should take breaks regularly to rest their eyes. It is important to note that the employer remains responsible for the employee’s occupational health and safety, even if the employee works remotely.

Employers and employees should discuss any special measures to protect confidential information for employees working remotely. The Labour Code and the Law of Protection of Commercial Secrets briefly list the employee’s confidentiality obligation. However, company handbooks or individual agreements should address security policies in more detail and provide an accurate list of confidential information and commercial secrets.

Employees working from home have the same rights as those working in the employer’s office. There should be no restrictions on calculating length of service, promotion, training, or any other rights established in the Labour Code. Most importantly, the implementation of telework should not violate the protection of employees’ personal data and their right to privacy.